Broncos Sign Rookie QB Chad Kelly
The Broncos have reached agreement on a rookie deal with quarterback Chad Kelly, as Mike Klis of 9NEWS tweets. As dictated by his draft slot, the deal will be a four-year deal with a signing bonus worth nearly $65K. 
Kelly, the nephew of Bills legend Jim Kelly, was once considered to be a top QB in the 2017 class. However, a injury concerns and off-the-field issues dropped him down to a Day 3 prospect and nearly pushed him out of the draft altogether. The Broncos selected him with the final pick in the draft – No. 253 overall – making him one of the most intriguing Mr. Irrelevant selections in draft history.
The Broncos have Paxton Lynch and Trevor Siemian atop the depth chart, but they feel that Kelly could be worth a look as a developmental quarterback. The reality is that they won’t know what they have in the Ole Miss product until he is healthy. A torn ACL kept him from auditioning for teams in the early part of 2017 and a wrist injury shut down his Pro Day just as it was getting started. Someone like Kelly might be better suited for the practice squad, but the Broncos will have to expose him to waivers before stashing him away.
In addition to the Kelly deal, the Broncos have also agreed to terms with sixth-round running back De’Angelo Henderson, a Coastal Carolina product (Twitter link via Klis). To clear a roster spot, Broncos have waived center James Ferentz, as Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post tweets.
Brandon Beane To Control Bills’ Roster?
Will new Bills GM Brandon Beane have final say over the roster? The team’s public answer could differ from the day-to-day reality.
Coach Sean McDermott, who effectively was in charge of this year’s draft, will cede control of the 53-man roster to Beane, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Bills owner and CEO Terry Pegula will communicate this to the public on Friday, but McDermott will retain final say over the 53-man roster, Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News (Twitter links) hears. This is similar to the Chiefs’ model in which GM John Dorsey has a say in the roster, but everything must get the green light from coach Andy Reid.
Right now, we have conflicting reports from two highly-trusted reporters, so it remains to be seen how things will truly be divvied up between the two men. This offseason, McDermott wrestled control of operations away from former GM Doug Whaley and effectively pushed him out of Buffalo. After seizing that kind of power early on in his tenure, some believed that McDermott would continue to call the shots in the front office. Soon, we should have a better idea of how things will shake out in Western New York.
“During our search for a new general manager, Brandon stood out to Kim [Pegula] and I as he embodies the type of leader and type of person we want in our organization,” Terry Pegula said in a statement earlier this week. “Brandon has excelled in a variety of roles for a Panthers team that has consistently competed at a high-level in this league. We feel his vast understanding and experience in many facets of football operations will be invaluable to our club moving forward.”
Before hiring Beane, the Bills also considered Packers director of player personnel Brian Gutekunst, Eagles director of college scouting Trey Brown, and Texans director of player personnel Brian Gaine.
Cardinals Rumors: Washington, Bidwill
Cardinals linebacker Daryl Washington met with the team on Monday, according to Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic, but it’s not yet known how the meeting went. Washington has been cleared by the league to return to football but the Cardinals reportedly are not interested in taking him back. Technically speaking, the linebacker is under contract with the team through 2020 because his contract was frozen during his suspension. However, he has been out of football for years and it’s unlikely that Arizona or any other club would be willing to pay him the $2.9MM he is due in 2017.
Here’s more on Washington and other Cards news:
- Cardinals president Michael Bidwill tells Alex Marvez of SiriusXM (on Twitter) he expects a decision “fairly soon” on whether the team will keep Washington.
- When asked why the team didn’t draft a potential successor for Carson Palmer, Bidwill said, “We’ve got time on the quarterback situation,” (Twitter link). Heading into the draft, the Cardinals were widely linked to quarterback Patrick Mahomes, but the Chiefs moved up to the No. 10 pick and selected him before Arizona could get the chance at No. 13. Fellow top quarterback Deshaun Watson also came off the board before their first pick but they later passed up the opportunity to take other top signal callers like Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer and Cal’s Davis Webb. Palmer, 37, is under contract through 2018.
- On Tuesday, the Cardinals signed cornerback Jumal Rolle.
Jets Host LB Gerald Hodges On Visit
The Jets are hosting linebacker Gerald Hodges on a visit today, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). 
[RELATED: Nick Mangold Upset That Jets Didn’t Make Effort To Keep Him]
Hodges spent last season with the 49ers and had a better season than you might realize. All in all, the 26-year-old totaled 80 tackles, three sacks, and two interceptions in 15 games (12 starts) with San Francisco. He also graded 21st among Pro Football Focus’ 87 qualified linebackers. Hodges met with the Chiefs and Seahawks in March, but besides those powwows, we haven’t heard of any other team having serious interest in him until today.
The rebuilding Jets added West Georgia linebacker Dylan Donahue in the fifth round of this year’s draft, but he’s likely ticketed to play on the outside. The Jets project to start David Harris and Darron Lee at the inside linebacker spots with Bruce Carter as the first ILB off the bench, but Hodges, a New Jersey native, could push Randell Johnson for a spot on the 53-man roster.
Hodges isn’t the only notable Niner still floating in free agent limbo. Wide receiver Rod Streater and quarterbacks Colin Kaepernick, Blaine Gabbert, and Christian Ponder all remain unsigned.
Chiefs Sign OL Andrew Tiller
One of the best remaining free agent offensive linemen is now off the board. The Chiefs announced that they have signed guard Andrew Tiller. 
Tiller visited the Chiefs in late March and left without a deal, but the two sides circled back to each other roughly six weeks later. The Syracuse product started 14 games over the last two seasons for San Francisco and it’s a bit surprising that he had to wait until May to sign somewhere.
The Chiefs now have four true guards on the roster in Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, Zach Fulton, Parker Ehinger, and Tiller. In addition to them, they have a pair of guard/tackles in Jah Reid and Mike Person. The arrival of Tiller could displace Person, particularly if Tiller’s deal comes with a significant guarantee. Then again, since Tiller has signed so late in the offseason, he might not have much of a guarantee on his deal.
Tiller graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 43 ranked guard last season. He had nearly even marks for pass blocking and run blocking, according to PFF’s metrics.
Patriots Host RB Christine Michael On Visit
Christine Michael visited the Patriots on Tuesday, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Michael was released by the Packers earlier this month along with fellow running back Don Jackson, creating room for the three running backs selected in the draft. 
[RELATED: Patriots Could Use UFA Tender On LeGarrette Blount]
Michael signed a new contract with the Packers earlier this offseason, but it didn’t take long for them to have a change of heart. The Texas A&M product was once viewed as a high-upside player, but it’s not clear what C-Mike can bring to the table at this stage of his career. The running back averaged 5.1 yards per carry in a limited sample for the Seahawks in 2014, but he has not been able to replicate that success in the last two seasons.
The Patriots, meanwhile, are pretty well set at running back after signing Mike Gillislee and Rex Burkhead. James White, Dion Lewis, Brandon Bolden, and D.J. Foster are also under contract, giving the team six quality veteran RBs on the roster. Michael could be added to the mix as low-cost competition, but it doesn’t seem like his chances of making the team are all that high.
Khaseem Greene Facing Legal Trouble
The Chiefs released linebacker Khaseem Greene on Tuesday for reasons that weren’t entirely related to football. The Rutgers product was indicted on weapons charges for an incident that went down in December in Elizabeth, New Jersey, as Marisa Iati of NJ.com writes. 
[RELATED: Chiefs Sign Former Saints Second Round Pick Stanley Jean-Baptiste]
Prosecutors found surveillance video of Greene, 28, handing a gun to someone outside of a nightclub on December 3, moments before that person fired a gun into a crowd of people. That man, Jason C. Sanders, gave a statement to authorities in which he confessed that Greene handed him the firearm.
Greene was a fourth round pick of the Bears in 2013, but his time in Chicago didn’t last long. After 25 games in two years for the Bears, he bounced around the league and spent time with the Bucs and Lions before signing a futures contract with the Chiefs in January. Even before the indictment, he was far from a lock to make KC’s 53-man roster. If he cannot clear his name in court, it might be a while before we see him in camp with another team.
Jets Claim WR K.D. Cannon Off Waivers
The Jets have claimed former Baylor wide receiver K.D. Cannon off waivers from the 49ers, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets. 
Cannon signed with San Francisco for an uncharacteristically high $45K bonus only to get cut days later. Now that the Jets have claimed him, they have assumed the burden.
Cannon, 21, declared for the draft after only three years at Baylor. In his final season with the Bears, Cannon posted 87 receptions for 1,215 yards and 13 touchdowns.
It was said that Cannon did not show a whole lot of hustle in rookie minicamp with the Niners and his weak showing led to a quick pink slip. Now, he’ll try to stick with the Jets. The Jets parted ways with Brandon Marshall this offseason and Robby Anderson could be in legal trouble, so they are covering their bases by taking a closer look at this young wide receiver.
Patriots Host LB Andrew Gachkar On Visit
The Patriots hosted free agent linebacker Andrew Gachkar on a visit Tuesday, as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com tweets. The seven-year veteran has played with Chargers and Cowboys. 
[RELATED: Patriots Won’t Re-Sign WR Michael Floyd]
Gachkar, 28, saw time in every possible regular season game for the Cowboys over the last two years. However, he has played primarily on special teams. In 2016, he saw only 76 snaps on defense with 45 of those reps coming in Week 17. The Patriots are likely looking at him as a special teamer and a depth option.
The Patriots had only four draft picks this year and they did not take a linebacker with any of those selections.
Seahawks Release CB Perrish Cox
The Seahawks have released the following players: 
- Chris Briggs, TE
- Ross Burbank, C
- Rodney Coe, DT
- Perrish Cox, CB
- George Farmer, RB
- Jamel Johnson, WR
- John Lunsford, K
- Terrence Magee, RB
Cox, 30, joined the Seahawks in January as insurance in the wake of DeShawn Shead‘s knee injury. Shead is not expected to be ready for Week 1, but the Seahawks do not feel that Cox is worth keeping around as an alternative. Before signing with Seattle, Cox was with the Titans. He intercepted three passes in 11 games for Tennessee in 2016.
With Lunsford out of the way, Blair Walsh stands as the only place kicker on Seattle’s roster.
Even after releasing Farmer and Magee, the Seahawks still have nine running backs under contract.